1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for mounting a roof rack to both sides of a sunroof of a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, vehicles are provided with various kinds of devices for convenience. A sunroof is a representative example of the devices for convenience. With respect to the sunroof, a window is formed in a roof panel of a coupe or sedan but not a convertible vehicle and is constructed such that it can be opened or closed in a sliding manner. In the case of the vehicle having the sunroof, a user, such as a driver or passenger, opens the sunroof on a clear day to take fresh outside air, that is, the user can feel access to an open space through the sunroof. Such sunroofs are classified into the case where only a portion of a roof panel is open and the opening is openably closed, and the case where almost an entire area of a roof panel is made of glass and a front part thereof is opened or closed in a sliding manner. Particularly, the latter case is called a ‘panoramic sunroof’.
Meanwhile, a roof rack is another representative example of the devices for convenience. The roof rack is a bar-shaped support device which is provided on both sides of a roof panel of a vehicle. Due to a spatial limitation of a trunk and a passenger compartment of the vehicle, there is a limitation in the amount of loads that can be loaded in the vehicle. However, in the case where the vehicle is provided with a roof rack, loads can be loaded on the roof of the vehicle using the roof rack. Here, preferably, the loads are supported by crossbars connected between sidebars of the roof rack. The crossbars are aligned in the transverse direction of the roof panel of the vehicle and can be varied in position by sliding them along the sidebars of the roof rack.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a panoramic sunroof and a roof rack which are mounted to a vehicle. As shown in the drawing, almost an entire area of a roof panel of the vehicle having the panoramic sunroof 10 is made of glass. The sunroof glass includes a front sunroof glass 12 and a rear sunroof glass 14. The front sunroof glass 12 is opened or closed by sliding on the upper surface of the rear sunroof glass 14. The roof rack 30 is provided on the both sides of the sunroof glass. Here, in the case where the vehicle has both the sunroof 10 and the roof rack 30, portions to which the two devices are mounted are partially overlapped, so that there is a limitation in design of internal structures and external appearances of the two devices.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a conventional roof rack mounting apparatus for the vehicle having the sunroof. The roof rack 30 is mounted to a side outer panel 50 using a bracket 52 having a bolt 54. A roof side molding 60 is provided between the roof rack 30 and the side outer panel 50. An outer sunroof frame 20 of the panoramic sunroof supports on a first end thereof the rear sunroof glass 14, and a second end thereof is coupled to the side outer panel 50. The second end of the outer sunroof frame 20 is coupled to the side outer panel 50 through a subsidiary frame 72. A waterproof sealer 74 is interposed between the subsidiary frame 72 and the outer sunroof frame 20. The subsidiary frame 72 is welded to the side outer panel 50.
However, in the conventional roof rack mounting apparatus for the vehicle having the sunroof and the roof rack, the subsidiary frame 72 is used for installation of the outer sunroof frame 20 and the roof rack bracket 52. Therefore, because of the use of the subsidiary frame 72, work effort and the cost of manufacturing the apparatus are increased. Furthermore, because the subsidiary frame 72 is fastened to the side outer panel 50 by welding, there is a problem in that rainwater may enter the passenger compartment between the subsidiary frame 72 and the side outer panel 50.
In addition, the separate bracket 52 is required to fasten the roof rack 30 to the side outer panel 50, with the result that work effort and cost of manufacturing the apparatus are increased.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.